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NGO Claims 250,000 Young Nigerians Undergoing Sexual, Labour Exploitations in Mali
By Derrick Bangura.
The Network Against Child Trafficking, Abuse, and Labor (NACTAL), a non-governmental organization, has raised the alarm that over 250, 000 young Nigerian boys and girls are currently enduring various forms of exploitation, including sexual and labor, in various locations around Mali.
Mr. AbduGaniyu Abubakar, the network’s National President, made the announcement on Sunday in Abuja, but urged the federal government and other relevant authorities, including civic groups, to do everything humanly possible to save them.
He was addressing shortly after the arrival at Abuja International Airport of 15 girls and a three-year-old boy who were victims of human trafficking rescued from Mali.
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The victims, who were sexually exploited at Mali’s mining sites, were between the ages of 18 and 25, and had been held captive for about five years until being rescued recently.
According to the NACTAL President, the victims managed to flee their captors and sought refuge with various NGOs fighting human trafficking, sexual and child abuse and were forced to work in Mali.
Meanwhile, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), which brought the children back to Nigeria, reassured that the agency would continue to do everything possible to rescue Nigerians trafficked for sexual and labor exploitations anywhere in the world.
Angela Agbayekhai, the head of NAPTIP’s Intelligent and International Cooperation Unit, warned that Mali is not a greener pasture, adding that the country is quickly becoming a destination place for sexual exploitation and child labor.
According to her, the organization was attempting to save more than 20,000 people who had been trafficked to Mali for sexual exploitation.
While lamenting their ordeals in Mali, one of the victims (names withheld) urged young girls to be wary of huge promises of success outside Nigeria.
She claimed she was deceived by a friend into going on a journey to greener pastures, not realizing she was being held captive for sexual exploitation.
One of the victims’ three-year-old son was among the victims. The infant was born in Mali, and she was forced to carry him while escaping her captors.
